Imaizumi Shunsuke
|kanji = 今泉 俊輔 |roomaji = Imaizumi Shunsuke |alias = Sukashi (hotshot; used by Naruko) |gender = Male |birthday = May 18 |zodiac = Taurus |bloodtype = A |height = 181 cm (5' 11") |weight = 65 kg (143 lbs) |age = |hair = Black |eye = Dark grey |occupation = Student Cyclist |school = Souhoku High School 1st year → 2nd year |affiliation = Souhoku High Bicycle Club |type = All-rounder |bicycle = Scott blue |manga = Ride 1 |anime = Episode 1 |seiyu = Toriumi Kousuke}} Shunsuke Imaizumi is a high school student and a member of the Souhoku High School Bicycle Club. He has been cycling competitively since middle school. Imaizumi is an all-rounder and he uses his sharp, logical thinking to strategize in races, though he becomes quite hot-blooded when driven into a corner. His dream is to become the fastest cyclist in the world. Appearance Imaizumi has spiky black hair and dark, "thin" eyes. He is often seen in his biking outfit, school uniform, or usagi brand T-shirts (which he collects). He is considered handsome by his many fangirls. Personality Imaizumi generally behaves quite seriously, though he gets worked up when angry. At first, he was obsessed with winning races on his own in order to eventually beat Midousuji, but when he met Onoda, Naruko, and the rest of the Sohoku cyclists, his personality began changing. During the Inter High races, he faces the complex he developed after losing to Midousuji and learns to rely on and believe in his teammates. Plot Imaizumi is introduced in Ride 1 when the car he is being driven in accidentally bumps into Onoda on the way to school. He is shown to be serious about cycling, as he immediately plans to attend the Inter High. He also puts himself through intense daily training, revealing that he cycles 70 km every day. After meeting Onoda on the intense slope of the "back-gate hill" when they were both riding, he decides to challenge him to a race. Imaizumi is interested in Onoda's high cadence climbing style, and uses the race as a chance to test him. To his surprise, he ended up getting serious because Onoda actually caught up to him a few times. Still, Imaizumi was the victor Skills and Techniques He is an all-rounder cyclist who is good at both sprinting and climbing. He shows the ability to devise tactics and use logic in order to achieve victory. He works to assist the ace, Kinjou, another all-rounder. Relationships Onoda Sakamichi Imaizumi was the first cyclist to stumble upon Onoda, who was easily riding his mommy bike up the "back-gate hill" at Souhoku High, and was shocked to see him casually singing while doing so. Because of this, he challenges Onoda to a race, promising that he will join the Anime Club if he loses. Imaizumi ends up winning, but Onoda pushed him to use his dancing technique in order to beat him. Imaizumi later suggests that Onoda should join the bicycle racing club, although he says he is not forcing Onoda to do so. Imaizumi even wishes Onoda luck in finding members to rebuild the anime club. Onoda admires and respects Imaizumi. During the earlier part of the series, being able to reach Imaizumi's level of skill was one of the main reasons Onoda trained so hard to become a better cyclist. Also, according to the bonus clips at the end of each episode of the anime, Imaizumi is shown to develop a liking to Love Hime; he even goes to see the movie with Onoda. Naruko Shoukichi Naruko and Imaizumi have a relationship as rivals that started from their very first meeting on the day of the First Year Welcome Race. They are often seen competing in and outside of club activities. The two have also been referred to as a "duo", nicknamed "the redhead and the giant" by other students in the school. Of course, the two do not appreciate being seen as a set, and are vocal in their opposition of this perception. Initially, Imaizumi and Naruko had little regard for each other, as they were too wrapped up in their individual success. As the series progresses, they are seen together more frequently and their behavior becomes more playful than truly hostile. During the Inter High, Naruko expresses the desire to win together with the team, Imaizumi included. Kinjou Shingo Kanzaki Miki Miki is a childhood friend of Imaizumi's. When they first met, she instantly shares with him that she adores bicycles. Though Imaizumi is sometimes frustrated by Miki's actions, such as when she invites spectators to his first race against Onoda, they have maintained a friendship throughout the years. Presently, Miki is pleased about the positive changes she has seen in Imaizumi's personality since he has joined the bicycle club. Midousuji Akira Imaizumi mentions his desire to defeat Midousuji very early on, and seems obsessed with the idea. He suffered a humiliating loss to Midousuji in the past when Midousuji told him that his mother died, causing him to lose speed and effectively lose the race. During the Inter High opening ceremony, Midousuji makes fun of Imaizumi being gullible enough to believe him and calls him "Yowaizumi" (yowai means weak). Midousuji seems to enjoy taunting Imaizumi quite a bit. When Midousuji tells Imaizumi that he never even considered him a worthy opponent, Imaizumi is mortified and even sheds tears. Up until that point, he saw defeating Midousuji as his only goal in the Inter High. Sugimoto Terufumi After becoming a second year, Sugimoto asks Imaizumi to help him as he trains with the goal of making it to the Inter High. After seeing that Sugimoto is serious, Imaizumi accepts the role of a mentor. Imaizumi actually begins to be quite supportive of Sugimoto, who is deeply grateful for this as he has a lot of admiration for Imaizumi. Trivia ;Likes : Riding at the front of the pack : Quiet environments : Watching waves at the beach when no one else is around ;Collects : Cycling caps from all of the European teams : Hats : Usagi brand t-shirts ;Best subject : Classical Japanese ;Misc * He is often seen wearing earphones, but he is listening to movie soundtracks. Gallery Imaizumi.Shunsuke.full.1565241.jpg|Anime concept art. imaizumi1.png imaizumi2.png imaizumi onsen.png Category:Male Characters Category:Cyclists Category:Students Category:All-rounders Category:Astrological sign: Taurus Category:Blood type: A Category:Souhoku High Bicycle Club